John P. Conrad
March 17, 1956 - Feb. 11, 2019

John P. Conrad, 62, a 30-year resident of Tyrone, passed away on Monday after a valiant fight with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
He was born in Altoona and grew up in Lilly, son of John Francis and Dorothy Mae Conrad.
Surviving are his wife of 42 years, Elaine Boal Conrad; a daughter, Heather (Tom) Lancaster of Wenham, Mass.; two sons: Byron of Tyrone and Tyler of Pittsburgh; three grandchildren: Mae, Anna and Julia Lancaster; his father, John, of Lilly; six siblings: Jean Ann (Ted) Beck, Mark Conrad, Charlene Conrad, Mary Rose (Ken) Adams, DeSales (Gary) Wertz and Eleanor (Keith) Kearney; a brother-in-law, Phil (Mary Jo) Boal; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Dorothy Mae.
John graduated from Penn Cambria High School in 1974 and received a Bachelor of Science Civil Engineering degree from Penn State University in 1979. He was a professional engineer licensed to offer railroad bridge and railroad consulting engineering services. John had Class I railroad experience with Chessie System Railroads in West Virginia, Ohio and Illinois from 1979-84 as a structures inspector; and then CSX Transportation from 1984-88 as a structures supervisor. From 1991-2002, John was a partner in Uni-Tech Consulting Engineers in State College. He then was a sole proprietor as a railroad consulting bridge engineer until present day. He consulted, inspected or led bridge construction projects for 36 railroads and 580 bridges, across multiple states, including Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, New York, Delaware, New Jersey and Texas. He was a member of the ASLE, AREMA and ASLRRA. In recognition of his structural design achievements, John will be honored when the bridge he designed spanning the Loyalsock Creek in Williamsport will be dedicated as the “John P. Conrad Bridge.”
John was an active member of St. Matthew’s Catholic Church in Tyrone, and was parish council president and the project manager of the St. Matthew’s restoration and gathering space building. He was a member of the Diocesan Building Committee, was elected to the Tyrone Hospital Board in 2007 and served on the Blair County Democratic Committee.
John was a kind and honest man of integrity. He never hesitated to help others; from a random hitchhiker to his best friend. He stood for what he believed in through his thoughts, words and actions. He lived by his grandfather’s motto, “Be conservative with yourself, and don’t be liberal, be ultra-liberal with your fellow man.” He didn’t compromise his principles or morals and was loved by many.
Friends will be received from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 15, 2019, at Richard H. Searer Funeral Home Inc., Tyrone. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, 2019, at St. Matthew’s Catholic Church, Tyrone.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in John’s name can be made to the ALS Association online or to the Western PA Chapter 416 Lincoln Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15209.
searerfuneralhomeinc.com